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Action Grants

We believe that people want to make a difference and have a positive impact on the environment, but sometimes they need additional financial resources. We decided to help by providing small grants, usually $500, to support local projects that will improve the environment.

Grant Criteria
EcoFriendly Sask is a small personal initiative (Who is EcoFriendly Sask?) so there is some flexibility in our grant criteria. However, we will expect you to demonstrate how your project meets the following criteria:

Type of Project
Projects should preserve and protect the natural environment. This can be direct (habitat restoration, energy conservation) or indirect (environmental education, promotion of local natural habitats).

Projects should benefit the natural environment and not just people.

Projects should be concrete and have tangible results.
For example, the Saskatoon Friendship Inn used their grant to purchase reusable cups to replace the styrofoam cups they were using. The Carrot River Valley Watershed Association received a grant to provide area schools with mini watershed models and educational books so that learning continued after the Association’s presentations. Locals concerned about food security received a grant to establish the Saskatoon Seed Library.

Applicants
Applicants should be individuals, schools, or community groups and institutions in Saskatchewan. You don’t have to have charitable status (but it’s good if you do).

Larger organizations and municipalities must demonstrate need and explain why the project cannot be supported through their own operational budget.

Projects must have a community-wide impact.

We do not support projects that are purely personal (e.g. purchasing a solar panel for a personal residence) or on private property even though we recognize there are benefits to setting an example.

Grants are not available for business initiatives (e.g. starting up a renewable energy company).

Financial Considerations
Projects should be for short-term projects or start-up funding.
We don’t provide support for ongoing operational funding. For example, we might help you to set up a composting program, but we wouldn’t provide you with a grant to maintain it on a long-term basis.

Projects should be small. We do not normally support large-budget projects with many sponsors.

Demonstrate need. EcoFriendly Action Grants are designed to support projects that would not be able to go ahead without our support.

Application Process
There are no forms to fill in. Simply send us an email (ecofriendlysask@gmail.com) outlining your project idea, its purpose and audience, as well as what you need to help make it happen.

Clearly indicate how you will use the funds (e.g. a list of supplies that are required and approximate cost, a draft budget).

We accept grant proposals on a continuous basis. There are no application deadlines.

Expectations
Grant recipients will be expected to do the following:

Acknowledge receipt of the grant, using EcoFriendly Sask’s logo, in your organization’s electronic and print publications in order to increase awareness of EcoFriendly Sask’s publications and grant program.

Provide photographs and a written report at the completion of the project to be posted on EcoFriendly Sask’s website so that others can learn from your experience.

Karen McIver, Faculty of Education, University of Regina - $500 to enrich the Outdoor Education in a Winter Environment class with additional field trips and enable students to obtain Leave No Trace certification
RCE Saskatchewan - $500 to support a speaker at the Education on Sustainable Development Recognition Awards ceremony
Angie Bugg, Saskatchewan Environmental Society - $500 to help fund a Certified Energy Manager course in order to provide more comprehensive information to building operators, non-profit organizations, and schools
Grade 5/6 class, Englefeld School - $300 to plant native trees and/or trees with fruit or berries for birds to eat at future off-leash park
Nature Saskatchewan - $1,000 to help fund reshingling the banding station at Last Mountain Bird Observatory
Redvers Library - $400 to fund an Earth Day children's program explaining the importance of flowers and bees to our ecosystem

February 2018
Minahik Waskahigan High School, Pinehouse - $500 to establish a school composting and recycling program
Farm the Sun with US - $500 to promote the benefits of a campus solar farm
Stand Up for Meewasin - $500 to promote continued provincial funding for Meewasin Valley Authority

March 2018
Kiskahikan School, Weyakwin, SK - $500 to purchase reusable cups, dishes, and cutlery for school and community use
Reclaim Our Prairie, Saskatoon - $500 to reclaim sections of schoolyards as native prairie restoration and education sites
Pierceland Central School - $500 to purchase rain barrels for outdoor learning space to teach students about water conservation
Grade 3/4 class, Nokomis School - $500 to install birdhouses and benches in a learning area for observing native birds
New Beginnings Outreach Centre, Kamsack - $1000 to purchase reusable cups and bowls in place of styrofoam
Food Renew - $500 to assist group in providing Saskatoon businesses with an alternative to throwing away edible food

June 2018
Denare Beach New Horizon's Club - $500 natural areas clean-up grant
Troutreach Saskatchewan - $500 for research on the impact of climate change and the potash industry on tiger salamanders
Centennial Collegiate Outdoor Education Club - $500 to help facilitate a skills development workshop at Pike Lake Provincial Park
Kailah Sebastian, University of Regina - $500 for graduate research with local stakeholders around Quill and Last Mountain Lakes regarding perceptions and sources of conflict

October 2018
LeRoy School - $300 for reusable containers for students learning to cook to avoid the waste created by prepackaged food

November 2018
Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan - $300 to sponsor two activities at Gone Wild for Wildlife, January 26, 2019
Lawson Heights School - $400 for supplies to set up a fully functional aquaponics system as part of Student Action for a Sustainable Future

2017 Total $21,192.72 for 32 projects

January 2017

Wild About Saskatoon - $5,000 to help support the 2017 NatureCity Festival
Wild About Saskatoon - $568.92 to support the first annual NatureCity Awards
Birds in Real Danger, Saskatoon - $773.80 for Michael Mesure, BirdSafe Toronto, to speak, provide a technical workshop, and tour during NatureCity Festival 2017

March 2017
Regina Huda School - $500 to increase biodiversity with a naturalized schoolyardApril 2017
Christopher Lake Public School - $500 to purchase two compost bins to educate students on caring for the environment and sustainable living
Partners to End Poverty - $500 to plant fruit trees in Tisdale and Melfort

June 2017
Grade 5/6 class, Englefeld School - $500 to build birdhouses and set up bird feeders and benches for viewing birds
Boys and Girls Club of Yorkton - $500 for an environmental education summer program
Ituna School - $500 for compost bins
Turning Leaf Support Services, Moose Jaw - $500 for environmentally friendly garden including composting and rain barrel

July 2017
Troutreach Saskatchewan - $500 to educate the public about Saskatoon's weir and its effect on fish and other aquatic organisms

September 2017
Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan - $400 to develop an educational booth to increase public awareness and assist in rescuing more injured wildlife in southern Saskatchewan
Sylvia Fedoruk School & Meewasin Valley Authority - $500 to assist in establishing a Swale Education Room to increase awareness among students and community of the environmental
importance of the Northeast Swale

October 2017
Blaine Lake Composite School - $500 to assist with the purchase of reusable cutlery and an environmentally friendly
dishwasher to minimize waste and reduce the environmental impact of the
school's breakfast program
Prairie Conservation Action Plan Saskatchewan - $500 to assist in raising awareness about the importance of native prairie by sponsoring the Native Prairie Speaker series
Odessa Recreation Association - $500 to purchase recycling bins to be used at the rink, the community centre, and community events to keep recyclable materials out of the garbageNovember 2017
Climate Justice Saskatoon - $500 to prepare videos to communicate the social and political barriers to transitioning Saskatchewan to renewable energy
Saskatchewan Environmental Society - $500 for idle-free signage for schools in Saskatchewan
Mount Royal Collegiate, Saskatoon - $500 to purchase compost bins
Nature Regina - $94.35 to replace a defaced sign at Hidden Valley

December 2017
U of S Graduate Students' Association - $500 to support the Sustainability Slam, designed to showcase sustainability ideas and inspire sustainable lifestyles among graduate students
Little Green Thumbs - $500 to assist teachers wishing to attend the 2018 School Garden Summit

Dundurn Elementary School - $500 to support construction of an Outdoor Ed Learning SpaceJuly 2016
Langenburg and District Daycare Co-operative - $500 to purchase trees for the daycare's outdoor play areaJune 2016
Buffalo Narrows Ski Club - $500 for trail improvement on the Waskawihew Trail

Ecology Camps for Kids - $500 for supplies to assist in educating young people about ecology and the environment

May 2016
Melissa Squire (Alchemy, Ecobain Garden) - $950 in order to obtain a lower price and plant 9,000 trees in Ness Creek/Big River area

Julia Adamson - $500 to purchase supplies for a community clean-up day at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area in Saskatoon

Saskatoon Pride Festival - $550 to use the Bike Valet as part of the Festival's environmental sustainability initiativesApril 2016
M. Liota - $500 for a bokashi composting trial project to reduce waste and promote composting
Mary Sinclair - $500 to plant trees to help the earth and bring beauty at Poundmaker Cree Nation

March 2016
Ituna & District Regional Park - $500 for trees to replace the ones lost due to heavy rainfall
Saskatchewan Girl Guides - $500 for supplies for Cleaning Up SaskatchewanFebruary 2016
Marion Graham Outdoor Club - $500 for two pairs of skis for students who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to get outdoors and develop a stronger connection with the planet

Saskatoon Cycles - $500 to promote alternate means of transportation by assisting with expenses for IceCycle and author presentation on Feb. 27

Emmanuel Village Community Garden - $250 to assist with the cost of planting fruit trees and bringing in compost to extend the size of the garden. This will help to meet the demand for garden plots in one of Saskatoon's newest community gardens.

Meadow Lake Junior Forest Wardens - $250 to assist with the costs of an annual clean-up at Pagan Lake. It's a bigger job than usual this year due to last summer's windstorms, which caused major damage. They'll also install new signs, groom the trails, and build and install bird and bat boxes. (see: Meadow Lake Junior Forest Wardens Pagan Lake Clean-Up)

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About

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

EcoFriendly Sask strives to inform, encourage, and support Saskatchewan environmental initiatives. As a small, personal undertaking, we provide an online publication as well as grants to support local environmental projects. The Calendar page lists upcoming events, and we maintain the conversation on Twitter, or like our Facebook.

Individuals and organizations are encouraged to apply for grants of up to $500 to support local projects that will benefit the environment.